Coffee - The New Health Drink

Can it possibly be true? Coffee is a health food?

Perhaps so; there has been, in the last fifteen years, a flurry of basic research on coffee, primarily at Vanderbilt University (Nashville) and Harvard Medical School (Cambridge). As reported by the media, the news is music to a coffee lover's ears; coffee is good for our health. Kathryn Wilson, a researcher at Harvard reports: "When people find out that they are at risk for developing disease, coffee can be one pleasure which they don't need to deprive themselves, and then they can focus on other life-style choices."

One study found that men who drink six or more cups of coffee a day have up to a 60% lower risk of advanced and lethal prostate cancer. The results being almost the same for decaf and caffeinated coffee. A study done in Sydney, Australia, concluded that drinking four cups of coffee a day reduced the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 25 to 35 %. Coffee also seems to help "prevent cardiovascular disease, liver cancer, and liver cirrhosis." Coffee is safe for heart-attack survivors and its antioxidants may reduce inflammation and protect blood vessel walls. There is, in addition, evidence that coffee "decreases the risk of premature death, especially in women."(Costco Connection, Feb., 2010)

Perhaps it's time for a cup (or more) of java.